1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a systems and methods for configuring interface systems for automatic test equipment.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Interface systems for automatic test equipment are typically composed of many different items potentially from many different manufacturers integrated together into a system. A typical interface system would have one or more card chassis, receivers, test adapters (also known as “ITA's”), instrument connections, terminal block cables, modules, patchcords and pins. The system also could include various external instruments.
In the past, the various component parts or pieces of an interface system commonly were selected and perhaps assembled by a service provider sometimes referred to as an “integrator.” The integrator would perform research to ensure that selected component parts of an interface system were compatible.
In recent years, a new XML-based standard for automatic test equipment, referred to as “Automatic Test Markup Language” or “ATML,” has emerged in the test and measurement industry. See, “ATML—The Standard for Interfacing Test System Components Using XML,” National Instruments (2006); “Draft Trial-Use Standard for Automatic Test Markup Language (ATML) for Exchanging Automatic Test Equipment and Test Information via XML,” IEEE P1671/D2 (December, 2005); and “AML (Automatic Test Markup Language),” The Test Savvy Engineer, (Oct. 1, 2007). ATML is a cooperative effort to define a collection of XML schemes to represent test information such as test programs, test asset interoperability, and unit under test (“UUT”) test data.